Even the theatre of the 20th century are partly obsolete

The room of the Odeon, made public this spring, similar in all respects inaugurated by Marie-Antoinette in 1782. And yet, it is different. This Italian theatre now meets the latest standards of comfort, acoustics, design, security. During the work, all the pieces of decoration have been "filed", the ceiling composed of "petals" gilding paint, passing by the cherubs and trim. Only remained the basic structures, that the Chief Architect of historic monuments Alain-Charles Perrot has "reinvented" to improve the accessibility and visibility. He also redesigned the machinery, electrical system, ventilation... Cost of three years of work funded by the owner State: EUR 35 million!

Another scene in Italian, one of the most beautiful of Paris, the Athénée Louis-Jouvet, a theatre, subsidized, demanded for its renovation close to EUR 5 million made by the State, region, city, and patrons. Three times less than the 15 for including million to expand the stage area and home to the municipal theatre of Arras, built in the 18th century, and closed for four years.

If the France is rich of 170 theatres Italian jewellery designed between the 18th century and the beginning of the 20th, it also has an important heritage built under the eras Malraux and Lang, marked by a stated willingness to cultural decentralization and development of the territory. But this heritage requires him to important maintenance work. The head of the Direction of music, dance, theatre and live entertainment at the Ministry of Culture, Jérôme Bouët estimated that "about a thousand the number of equipped rooms of almost professional manner". That is, the magnitude of the task. And its complexity.

Rapid evolution of standards

"The problem of the renovation of theatres is recurrent, noted Alain - Charles Perrot.". Theatrical techniques and safety standards evolve very quickly, while the buildings themselves, are perennial. "Thus, until the 20th century, sets were made of coiled, canvas suspended from hangers, easy to carry, to store, to mount. Today, these are mainly of the elements by volume, difficult to store and dangerous, or even unusable on inclined Italian scenes. "Even the theatre of the 20th century are partly obsolete." For example, Chaillot, built in the 1970s on the principle of versatility, with benches and mobile spaces to find new ways to play. "Too expensive to use, this system never worked", noted architect.

The acoustic gives has changed, too, that traffic sounds are amplified. The theatre of Villeurbanne, built in the 1950s, had to more than 16 million euros of work, while the House of la culture de Grenoble, the Cargo, flagship of modern living show equipment, was the subject of 20 million euros of renovation. For some of these houses of culture, the Bill was particularly high they were infested asbestos. If the architects feel that a theatre must be redone in theory background fills every fifty years, room directors are obliged to engage in extensive thirty to forty years work. And they have difficulties to do with many essential intermediate repairs every ten years, such as changes of armchairs, lights, some paints...

For the municipalities of province, owners of the majority of the rooms, "these are often places of reference, major attractive elements", notes Yves Lamy, Mayor of Coutances, a town of 10,000 inhabitants which has taken ten years to modernize its equipment. To the point that some elected officials want to reopen closed facilities. "The theatre function in downtown structure urban planning", view Jérôme Bouët. Not question so let these equipment emblematic abandonment, as the trend is more towards the rehabilitation of old buildings to construction, as noted by Jean-Luc Moore, engineer at Bureau Veritas, applied for annually by 100 theatres.

If, at the Ministry of Culture, there is an intensification of work in all regional cities over the past twenty-five years, each time, the puzzle is the same: how renovate without weakening slightly more financially these structures intrinsically not profitable "Theatres identified no gain productivity from Molière." It is in humans, the incompressible. "Are craft savings", observed François de Banes - Gardonne, which hosts regular performances and authors to the Chartreuse of Villeneuve-lès-Avignon. To do not deprive himself of revenues from ticket sales during its closure, the theatre of Arras chose to invest alternative places for his performances as the Odéon in Paris with the workshops of boulevard Berthier. "It is interesting in terms of cultural action, certainly, but disastrous on the.

"business plan with a loss of revenue by 40 over a normal year," observed its Director, Max Gaillard.

Play despite the work

"In addition, he adds, we enjoy upgrades to improve the comfort of the spectators by widening the space between the rows, but it is an economic aberration." Consider that this room, opened a year after the Odeon and then given to a thousand places, was reconfigured after the first world war on the basis of 600 seats. At its reopening in September 2007, it will not offer more than 380 places to meet current standards! "But continued Max Gaillard,"that the theatre is economic nonsense is perhaps also its chance;" This is a fabulous area of freedom, a place of creation, an exception. "Rest convinced policies."

When, in public facilities such the Maison des arts Creteil, created in 1972, or in classrooms funded as the Athenaeum, it took getting creative to spread the work over several seasons and thus never close fear see spectators volatilize, it includes the impossible equation that must address managers of private theatres essentially Parisianstruggling to maintain attendance because of the high cost of the tickets. If these private institutions can benefit from aid for the renovation of the Ministry of Culture, for so little that they are classified, or Fund financing to support private theatre fuelled largely by the city and the State, what about lost revenue because of the work The President of the Theatre du Palais-Royal, Francis Nani, received from the Ministry of Culture, the municipality and the Ile-de-France region a grant equal to 75 of 1.5 million cost was the restoration of the façade of this historic monument. But nothing to rejuvenate the Interior. Through a system of scaffolding, the room was not closed. A necessity. "Private theatre, it means private grants." Quarantine of Parisian private theatres total affects fewer grants than the Comédie-Française only. However, a room like mine, in running order, amounts to 4.500 euros per day by counting the cost of the 25 employees, the rent, loads. And, between the decoration, scenography, rehearsals, advertising, a part is average to 305.000 EUR. We are doomed to success. ""In the end, it's the theatrical creation that suffers,"said Gérard Maro, Director of the Théâtre de L'Oeuvre.

In this context, certain rooms delaying the most possible maturity. Until the security alarm is activated or the artists refused to play. Others are not immune to closure and to pressure from developers, well that a 1945 order makes them "unbreakable" by prohibiting their "destination change." Why, then, could a Parisian Theatre as the Gaîté Lyrique, temple of the operetta, be transformed into Park "The World Magic" quickly in bankruptcy Why the ambiguous was destroyed in 1965, despite the intervention of Jean Vilar and Jean-Louis Barrault from André Malraux (1) "Each time, the process is the same, said Patrice Martinet, Director of the Ateneo. It leaves the building to deteriorate and pronounced a decree of dangerousness, in other words a judgment of death.

The sponsorship trail

How to avoid that the history stutters Act Aillagon of August 2003 on the sponsorship should contribute to strengthening the intervention of the business, even if for the moment the tax services hinder the application of the notice of Patrice Martinet, that reflects therefore the creation of a foundation. A first in the theatrical field! Recognized public utility, it would benefit from a tax incentive which would facilitate the maintenance of its theatre. Its main contributor would be other than Groupama, the owner sites as well as real estate all nearby, which would be proposing a sponsorship challenging, innovative, vector image. "For the first time, a foundation would combine the various sources of funding of culture: State, local communities, private."

Director of the Maison des arts Creteil, Didier Fusillier also advocated greater complementarity of scenes. Thus, according to him, should not necessarily wanting to enter giant video screens in theatres in Italian, or mount the same performances than those imagined for loft Brownfields as Lieu Unique in Nantes, LU factory. For cities which do not have the means to acquire modern equipment adapted for the stage designs current and saving energy, on the model of the wharf, which will open mid-May to Angers, "there is room for hyperproximité scenes, like houses Follies created on the occasion of" Lille 2004, capital European culture ", or new structures, inflatable or textile."mobile, modular". But again, some professionals consider that you play much in the same court...